Yesterday I went to Edo-Tokyo museum and spent almost 4 hours there. Here is what I’ve learnt and found it interesting.
Fire and fire
the devastation caused by the great fire of Meireki
Map of burned-out areas | timeline of Edo disaster
illustration of fire
fire fighters
Ueno station, 4 days after Great Kanto earthquake in 1923
Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall, Yokoamicho Park. When the Great Kanto Earthquake struck in 1923. To escape the destruction, tens of thousands of evacuees from surrounding areas fled here on that fateful day of September 1, but at around 4 p.m. a fire which had grown to tornado-like proportions engulfed the whole park, incinerating the approximately 30,000 people assembled there.
U.S. and World War II
July 8, 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States Navy, commanding a squadron of two steamers and two sailing vessels, sailed into Tokyo harbor aboard the frigate Susquehanna. Perry, on behalf of the U.S. government, forced Japan to enter into trade with the United States and demanded a treaty permitting trade and the opening of Japanese ports to U.S. merchant ships.
First Japanese ambassador in the U.S.
Mob and water bucket against fire from Air raid
U.S. machine gun from B29 plane
Devastation from air raid
Tokyo was even took of from the attack list after after heavy air raid from the U.S.
Japanese Balloon bomb, 9,000 balloons were launched, less than 300 reached American continent, and they claimed 6 lives in Oregon.
A replica of the Japanese version Instrument of Surrender. The Allied copy of the Instrument is at the United States National Archives Building in Washington, D.C..
Traffic policeman directing traffic together with an MP (U.S. Military police)
I would definitely recommend those who love Japan history to visit both Edo-Tokyo museum and Yokoamicho Park(500 m. from Edo museum). Even though I found it really sad at the end of the day, I learned a lot about Japan and its history in a way that I’ve never seen before. This helps me understand more of why Japan become Japan today.
